Penguin Day DC - Proposed Agenda

The following is the preliminary agenda for the first-ever Penguin Day DC, on April 7, 2007.

Note that possible additional sessions are listed at Penguin Day Additional Session Topics. We welcome you to have a look, and let us know of any sessions you might like to help facilitate! And we welcome new ideas...

8:30am - Coffee, juice, pastries

9:00am - Introductions and Opening Circle

9:45am - Spectrograms!

Spectrograms are interactive group opinion polls, intended to encourage participation by everyone. Spectrogram topics will be revealed in the moment; come prepared to explain where you stand :^)

10:30am - Break with coffee and snacks

10:45am - Morning Break-Out Sessions

Facilitators for each workshop will briefly describe what they will be discussing in their session. Participants will be able to ask questions and choose which session to attend.

Sessions will run for 75 minutes each in parallel, with the large group re-convening for 15 minutes of report-backs at the end.

This session will introduce the history, philosophy and practicalities of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). Key terms and concepts will be discussed, including "source" and the differences between "free", "open" and "proprietary", and participant questions will drive the course of the dialog. The nature and role of software communities and user support will also be explored.

From Firefox to Open Office to the Gaim instant messaging tool, there are plenty of Free and Open Source applications that rival or even exceed their proprietary counterparts. This session will offer a guided tour of those tools, while also leaving room for discussion of what's still missing and what's hard to install and use.

Linux has been in many nonprofit server rooms for years, providing reliable internet and intranet services. We'll talk about increased use of Linux as a server, then explore how Linux might just be ready for your desktop.

Selecting the right platform for web publishing is a ubiquitous and vexing challenge that many nonprofits face. This session will provide an overview of several "Content Management Systems" (CMS) and offer perspectives on how they differ and how to compare them for nonprofit web publishing needs.

"Community" in its many and varied manifestations is a dynamic that sets Free and Open Source software projects apart from proprietary ones. This session will discuss what makes for vibrant communities that sustain and enhance software projects.

FOSS projects bring end users closer to developers. Good FOSS projects have mechanisms for engaging end users in the design and testing process. This relationship does not always come naturally and both groups can take steps to making it easier. This session will focus on how end users can engage in the FOSS development process and influence product development to meet their needs.

Penguin Days exist to allow nonprofit "end users" to meet and share ideas with Free and Open Source Software developers. This is session will provide a forum for discussing the language and perspective differences that exist between those who identify as "Non-Techie" and "Techie", and offer suggestions on processes and successful models for productive collaboration and communication.

The range of platform available to support online advocacy is rich to a point of overwhelming. This session will start by characterizing the different types of available tools for different advocacy and campaigning models, and address best practices for getting started and sustaining online advocacy efforts.

While there is much discussion about the promise of "Open Source" software, there is much promise and potential in creation and utilization of "Open Content" for nonprofit needs. The building blocks for Open Content are the Creative Commons licenses. This session will use a training game that was created by remixing other similar content licensed by the Creative Commons license. The game will offer an opportunity for participants to discuss their open content ideas, questions and challenges. We will also take a look at other open content projects benefitting the nonprofit sector.

Many providers of FOSS implementation, support and development struggle to find the right business model in the absence of proprietary licensing and royalties. What are "competitors" in the FOSS market places? How can FOSS providers structure business models that support the larger FOSS ecology and serve their customers best? In this session, various FOSS providers will discuss their business models and ways to encourage the three "C"s (Communication, Cooperation, Collaboration).

So, you want to open source your code? You want to start an open source project to do a nonprofit-focused function? How do you start? What do you need to think about, and what's important? How do you get people to use your software? How do you get other developers interested?

Following from the morning CMS discussions, these workshops will offer overviews of several popular platforms, explaining core concepts and terminology, in part by demonstrating sites based on the respective techologies.